(Photo Courtesy of North Dakota State Athletics)
AUBURN, Ala.—North Dakota State University defeated Notre Dame 4-1 to close out play at the Auburn University Plainsman Invitational played Saturday, Feb. 8, at Jane B. Moore Field. The Bison finished the tournament with a 3-1 record including a 13-0 five-inning win over Tennessee Tech in Saturday’s opener.
North Dakota State (3-1) is scheduled to play Hofstra at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, in the opening game of the Florida State Renegade Classic in Tallahassee, Fla.
With NDSU leading 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, junior center fielder Alex Sobrero delivered a two-out, two-run single to left center to score Brandi Enriquez and Maritza Lopez-Portillo to provide two important insurance runs.
Krista Menke (2-1) retired the side 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to notch the win. Menke, who was the pitcher of record in both games Saturday, allowed six hits, walked three and struck out two against the Fighting Irish. The junior righty was on the mound when the Bison lost 7-4 to Notre Dame at the 2012 NCAA Tucson Regional. NDSU evened the all-time series 2-2.
North Dakota State jumped out front 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning when junior third baseman Amanda Grable deposited a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence. It was the first home run of the season and 20th career blast for Bazinga!, who ranks ninth all-time in homers at NDSU.
The Bison extended the lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Freshman Dani Renner led off with single up the middle. Pinch-runner Presley Glaser moved to second on a walk, advanced to third on a Logan Moreland sacrifice and scored on Cheyenne Garcia’s RBI single to right. Moreland led NDSU with two hits.
Notre Dame (1-1) cut the deficit to 2-1 in the top of the sixth on Megan Sorlie’s infield RBI single with two outs. Sorlie led the Fighting Irish with two hits. Laura Winter (0-1) picked up the loss. Winter struck out 11 and walked three.
In the opener against Tennessee Tech, Menke struck out six and walked one in spinning the 11th two-hitter and 13th shutout of her career. She worked out of trouble in the first inning when Grable and first baseman Enriquez combined on NDSU’s second double play of the season. Grable finished with five fielding assists.
Offensively, the Bison pounded out 12 hits, took advantage of nine walks and scored at least two runs in the five-inning contest against Tennessee Tech (0-3). Eight different plays had at least one RBI. Three bases loaded walks led the first three runs of the game for NDSU.
Senior catcher Jenina Ortega, who went 3 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBI, knocked in her first run with a single in the second. Ortega smacked a solo home run, her first of season, in the fourth inning.
Renner had a productive first game. She went 2 for 2 with two runs scored, a RBI double and her first collegiate home run – a three-run shot to left center — close out the scoring in the fifth inning.
Sobrero went 2 for 4 with two RBI and a double, while Garcia added a double.
Kendall Hooper and Christian Gibbs had base hits for Tennessee Tech. Four pitchers worked on the mound for the Golden Eagles with Danielle Liberatore (0-1) picking up the loss.
